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In the complex system of extended-family hierarchy, I started out as just another grandkid. Over the years, my fascination with history and photography, along with my highly organized and overly sentimental nature, elevated my status to sole record-keeper. Everything eventually ends up on my doorstep, from dozens of mid-1800s daguerreotypes to hundreds of mid-1900s Kodachrome slides.

What I’ll do with them I have no idea, but for now I simply sift though the life-remnants of my ancestors, imagining what they were like and wondering what they would think of me.

Sadly, the long term cache of social media accounts will remove all enchantment of ourselves for our descendants. How positively ordinary we will seem.

Some say I’m old-fashioned. I say they are probably right.

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The matte for this image was scanned from a childhood photo of my great-great aunt Clara, circa 1900. The selfie was taken a couple months ago and is clearly heavily edited. Separated by 114 years, connected by Photoshop.